This invention relates to an apparatus and method for measuring the length and width, or several widths, of an object using a conventional laser scanner measuring device.
Laser scanner measuring devices are presently available commercially. These devices generate a planar unidirectional scanning beam and by means of a sensor coupled to the beam scanner are capable of making any of several measurements of an object which is projecting through the beam at a right angle by sensing the segment which is blocked or exposed by the object projecting through the plane of the beam. As far as known to the present inventor, laser scanner measuring devices have been used only for measuring dimensions of objects in the plane of the beam, i.e., dimensions in the beam plane and perpendicular to the direction of the beam, by direct placement of the part of the object to be measured in the beam path.